Scaffold.



No. 795,196. PATBNTED JULY 18, 1905.

J. -P. GoNovER at M. E. BLAIR.

SGAFPDLD. APPLIGATIOH FILED 'un 15. 1905.

NITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. CONOVER AND MELVIN E. BLAIR, OF GLENSFORK, KENTUCKY.

SCAFFOLD.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,196, dated July18, 1905,

Application filed May 15, 1905. Serial No1 260,471.

To all whom, it 7uur/y concern:

Beitknown that we, J AMES F. CoNovER and M nLvIN E. BLAIR, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Glensfork, in the county of Adair andState of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inScaffolds; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in scaffolds of that class inwhich the supportingplatform is slidably mounted so that it may beadjusted at any height.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient deviceof this character which may be conveniently used by painters, builders,fruit-pickers, and other persons for various purposes.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a scaffoldconstructed in accordance with our invention, parts being broken away tomore clearly illustrate the locking mechanism for the platform. Fig. 2is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1,and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken onthe line 3 3 inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes a suitable frame whichcomprises a base 2 and two upright side bars 3, which are formed upontheir inner opposing faces with rack-teeth 4. These side bars 3 aresuitably secured to the base 1 and have their upper end connected byspaced crossbars 5, between which at their centers is journaled agrooved pulley 6.

Slidably mounted upon the side bars 3 is a platform 7, which consists oftwo sides 8, disposed vertically upon opposite sides of the bars 3 andspaced apart by end blocks 9, which engage the ends of said bars 3. Thesides 8 and blocks 9 are connected by bolts 10, and secured by means ofbraces 11 to the sides 8 are horizontal platforms proper, 12, upon whicha person may stand or upon which Objects may be supported. The platform12 upon one side of the frame is secured upon the top of the side 8, andthe said platform upon the other side of said frame is secured upon thebottom of the other side 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

vform to be lowered by means of a lever 16,

which is pivoted intermediate its ends, as shown at 17, upon theplatform and which has one of its ends 18 connected by cords, chains, orother flexible connections 19 and 2O to the lower ends of the pawls 14.These ieXible connections 19 and 2O are passed in opposite directionsaround a guide 22 in the form of a pin, which is passed through thesides 8, so

that when said lever 16 is moved in one direction said exibleconnections 19 and 20 will be drawn upon to swing the pawls out ofengagement with therack-teeth 1. Inorder to lock or retain said pawls intheir disengaged position, one of the sides 8 of the platform is formedin its upper edge with a notch 23, in which the end 18 of the lever isadapted to seat when swung to the position in which said pawls aredisengaged from the rack-teeth. Upon the guide-pin 22 is pivoted a yoke24, through which the coil-spring 15 passes and to which is connectedone end of a oord, cable, or other exible connection 25, which is passedover said pulley 6 in the top of the frame for the purpose of raisingand lowering 1n order to adjust and secure the platform at any desiredheight upon the platform 7. The opposite end of said cord ings.

It will be seen that the device may be used roo in connection with theaccompanying drawfor various purposes and in various ways. A personstanding` upon the platform may by pulling,` upon the free end of thecord or cable 25 elevate himself and a load upon the platform.ILIouse-painters, builders, and others may use the device either singlyor in pairs. In thc latter case boards are placed between the twolowermost portions 12 of platforms 7, as will be readily understood.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited tothe precise construction herein set forth, since Various changes in theform, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resortedto without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is'i l. A device of the character described,comprising,` a frame having` side bars provided with racl-teeth upontheir inner faces, a platform slidably mounted upon said frame, pawls ordogs pivoted upon said platform and engagged with said racks, a spring'connecting said pawls, a lever upon said platform, a guide upon saidplatform, flexible connections engaged with said guide and connectingsaid lever and said pawls, and a flexible connection passed over the topof said frame and having one of its ends secured to said platform forthe purpose of raising and lowering the same, substantially asdescribed.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a frame having sidebars provided with rack-teeth upon their inner faces, a platformslidably mounted upon said frame, pawls or dogs pivoted upon saidplatform and cngaged with said racks, a spring connecting said pawls, aguide-pin upon said platform, flexible connections engaged with saidguidepin and connecting said lever and said pawls, a yoke upon saidguide-pin, a pulley upon the top of said frame, and a flexibleconnection secured to said yoke and passed over said pulley, saidplatform being formed with a notch to receive the end of said lever`whereby said pawls may be locked in their 'released position.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribingI witnesses.

JAMES F. GONOVER. MELVIN E. BLAIR.

Witnesses:

Jo COFFEY, Jr., BRUCE MONTGOMERY.

